Active and logistical networking for grid computing: the e-Toile architecture

While active networks provide new solutions for the deployment of dynamic services in the network, exposing network processing resources, logistical networking focuses on exposing storage resources inside networks, optimizing the global scheduling of data transport, data storage and computation. In this paper, we show how active and logistical environments working together can improve grid middleware, and provide new and innovative high-level services for grid applications. We have experimented with this approach by combining the Internet Backplane Protocol suite with the Tamanoir Active Node environment. Our target architecture is the French e-Toile Grid infrastructure based on a high performance backbone (Vraiment Trés Haut Débit, VTHD).